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Airport waits for business to lift off By JILL BRISKEY Business at the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport followed national trends as the 2002 holiday season started slowly. Although the overall number of passengers in Southern Oregon has risen following September's sharp drop-off, local holiday flights on Wednesday and Thursday were down an estimated 25 percent so far compared to last year, airport manager Bern Case said. "Things have picked up but it was still down," he said. "It wasn't great, but it is edging back there." The slowdown comes as travelers remain nervous about commercial flights. George Rau of San Francisco chose to drive to Medford for a family Thanksgiving gathering instead of flying. "It's nothing personal but I just don't want to fly with all that craziness. I would rather take the time and drive," Rau said. "You never know, and I say better safe than sorry." Medford airport to use fees to study possible expansion Every time a passenger flies in or out of the Rogue Valley International Medford Airport, a $4.50 fee is attached to the ticket. This year, airport director Bern Case said those fees, or passenger facility charges, will be used to pay for a terminal expansion study. The Federal Aviation Administration gave airports the right to impose the passenger facility charge in 1990. Every year, the funds are applied towards airport improvement projects approved by the FAA. Wednesday, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted to charge the fees for another year. Commissioner Jack Walker asked if the attached fees could be raised, but learned that the county already charges the maximum amount allowed by the FAA - $4.50 per ticket. Case said this year money collected from the charges will pay for approximately 10 percent of a taxi-way improvement project. The majority of the funds, he added, will be used to contract with an design expert who will outline plans for a terminal that could double passenger capacity. Estimated costs of the study or the amount of passenger facility fees collected were not available. The airport, too, is operating on a similar "better-safe" footing by searching all vehicles that come to the front of the terminal. Case said the recently imposed searches are "going very smooth." Following the Sept. 11 attacks, curb-side drop offs and pick-ups were banned in Medford and vehicles were forced to park 300 feet away from the terminal. Earlier this month, Case said the Federal Aviation Administration waived the requirement and allowed security guards to conduct vehicles searches instead. The decision reopened the front parking lot and allowed passengers access to curbside drop-offs and pick-ups once again. Since the vehicle searches began Nov. 9, Case said nothing suspicious has been found. Each check takes approximately two minutes and isn't as invasive as a drug search, Case said. "They are good searches and they don't seem to be intrusive," Case said. A handful of drivers have been asked to park farther away from the terminal than normal because the trunks of their vehicles were too cluttered to be fully checked. "We haven't found anything suspicious yet but we have turned some people away," Case said. "That's not because we suspect them of anything." Blast analysis experts will visit the Medford airport sometime during the next two weeks in order to suggest additional security measures, Case said. Jackson County has joined with several other Oregon counties and contracted with an engineering firm. Case said the firm will come up with suggestions individually tailored to each airport. Those suggestions must be approved by the FAA before they can be implemented. One option for the Medford airport includes constructing a berm or bomb wall in front of the terminal. The berm would be designed to deflect a blast and could be landscaped to fit in with the surroundings. Case said he does not know how much the study will cost or when it will be completed. "It's not moving quite as fast as we had hoped but we are getting there," he said. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.